1.11 Back Home Alive

We were on our way back home after fighting a demon. It was a task even trained knights could only do when they were supported by magicians. Our clothes were torn and we looked dirty but both of us were not injured or hurt.

We were almost about to reach the orphanage when Ronald stopped and turned towards me and started speaking.

"Hey Nara, let's talk about this... Do you think they will believe us when we say, 'we killed a lesser demon.' They will probably think we are making things up."

"I don't think they will. The demon turned into black mist and disappeared so we have nothing to show as proof except the place where we fought against it. In fact, there is nothing there too except all the fallen trees and the scar of battle."

I replied since there was nothing to prove that we were the ones who killed the lesser demon. We didn't even have any weapon or armor so this was an impossible feat that we pulled off.

"Yeah, so let's keep it a secret until we discuss what to do with Andrew and others."

After Ronald said that and I agreed, we started walking again.

The forest was past the plain training field and farmland behind the orphanage and there weren't any houses in the area so we could reach the orphanage without running into anyone.

To our surprise, everyone including Andrew and Martha was there. When we went inside Martha came rushing and hugged us saying, "I was so worried". I was surprised to see everyone waiting for us.

We went to the bathroom to clean up and after a warm relaxing bath we came out. Miss Rose had already prepared tea when we were bathing. We sat on the chair around the table. I could see a new face among us but everyone's face said, 'introduction can wait for later'.

Andrew broke the silence by saying, "We heard that a demon had escaped towards the forest you had gone for training. When the knights were fighting it this morning, one of them was heavily injured so they couldn't pursue the demon. So, what exactly happened out there?"

Ronald and I explained the things honestly, about how we defeated the demon. Everyone was shocked to hear what we did. It was an expected reaction considering what we pulled off.

Andrew took a long breath and started speaking. He said, "If it was someone else telling me this, I would never believe them but since it is you guys, I believe you."

"But, it will hard for you at the academy if things about you defeating a lesser demon are made public. Nobles will try to persuade you to join their factions. Remember, nobles may appear good in the front but most of them are ready to use people as pawns in their political struggle." He added with a serious look.

I understood what he was trying to say. It was like politicians from back on earth who used to appear good during the time of election but after it's over, they get back to their power struggle and misuse their authority.

Ronald understood this too and said, "I understand, let's keep this matter a secret among us. Since people will only find the fallen trees and scar of the battle in the forest, I don't think anyone will know it was us."

I nodded in agreement when Ronald finished saying this.

After that conversation, Andrew went to the Knight station to talk about the thing that happened in the forest. He was not going to reveal it was us who defeated the demon but was only going to report what happened in that forest by making it look like he heard that from some travelers.

And since we all agreed to keep this matter a secret, we moved on and introduced ourselves to Miss Lily.

She was of the same age as Miss Rose and had a sweet voice. She was a bit taller than Miss Rose and had blonde hair and blue eyes. It looks like she is the type that is usually calm and responsible.

Since everyone else was already done with the introduction before we came, it was just the two of us. It ended quickly and we all decided to have dinner together to welcome Miss Lily and also to celebrate our demon-slaying.

Since we were tired because of all the mess, we didn't participate in the cooking. This wasn't really the case but Martha didn't let us help by saying that we were tired and needed a break. Martha, Miss Rose, and Nina were in the kitchen while the rest of us were sitting at the table.

Everyone else had a serious expression on their faces except Arica who said, "I can't believe we have demon slayers in our house now... hehe."

"I am still having a hard time believing you kids killed a demon." Miss Lily said looking towards us.

Ronald looked towards his hand on the table and said, "Yeah, even I am surprised that fire javelin from Nara was powerful enough to kill a lesser demon."

I didn't use my full power there to prevent forest fire but I think this is not the time to reveal it. I just want this conversation to move into a different topic already.

I turned towards Miss Lily and asked, "Were you working at the city temple up until now Miss Lily?"

"Yes, I was apprentice priestess under head priestess there. Since the temple here needed someone and Rose was here, I decided to come here" Miss Lily replied.

I don't think many priestesses there will agree to come to a village so far away from the city like this one. And on top of that, she was also the apprentice of the head priestess. She and Miss Rose must be really close friends.

"If you were the apprentice of the head priestess, wouldn't it have been better to stay in the city and learn more from head priestess and succeed her someday." Looks like Sistina had the same question as me so she asked.

"Though not openly visible, there is some discrimination against demihumans in the city. The law of this country forbids it but some people there don't exercise the law properly. Also, we needed to prioritize nobles over everyone else in the city. I believe everyone is equal in the eyes of God so when I heard that they need a priestess here, I volunteered." Miss Rose replied looking a bit sad.

She had a fair reason for not wanting to be in the city. I think this place will be perfect for kind people like her.

"I heard that you all will be going to the city soon for magic knight academy entrance exam. You all need to be very careful. Even though the exam will be conducted under the king's representative, the academy itself is a place that nobles use for the power struggle to increase their influence." Miss Lily gave us advice about how things worked at the academy.

That was true but we were going together so if something like that happens, we will be there to take care of each other so I replied, "Yes, we will be careful about that and look after each other."

I think Arica and Ronald will be fine and Nina will also probably be fine but I wasn't totally sure about Sistina and Marina so we had to look after them.

When Andrew came back the dinner was almost ready. We started having dinner during which we explained various things about the village and temple to Miss Lily and she looked really excited to start working here. After dinner, Martha and Andrew went to their home and everyone else went to their room to sleep.

Next Chapter: Final Preparations